Milk frothing for beginners

Coffee culture is making its way into more and more homes, especially in these times.

Probably all coffee lovers have tried to make a cappuccino, a latte, or a milk-based coffee at home. You have tried to froth milk at home, but it always comes as warm milk with a separate thick foam. If this happened to you, with a few instructions and a lot of patience, you will create a fantastic coffee with perfectly skimmed milk!

Knowing how to froth milk paves the way for making your own latte, cappuccino and other beverages at home. There are several options and devices that can be used for frothing milk. Knowing how to use a milk frother will make the whole process much easier and more enjoyable.

If you have an espresso machine with a steam wand, frothing milk with it is very easy. The wand will steam your milk, as the foaming gives a different texture to the bubbles, but both produce a very pleasant foam.

Most modern coffee machines have a steam wand that is attached to the side. The attached arm simply pushes the steam into the milk, heats it with pressure, and at the same time adding air to the milk, which makes it froth. A small metal jug is needed to froth the milk. These are called milk jugs and are found as accessories for coffee machines but also in many places in markets or online commerce. They have the perfect depth for the steam wand, and the long handle is easier to hold and control.

Milk frothing methods vary largely depending on the beverage made, but this technique includes the basics for this style of textured milk. The milk must be very cold to obtain the desired results.

Frothing Milk with a Steam Wand

The first step is to pour the cold milk into a metal pitcher.

Milk Temperature

Milk is the sweetest at 57-66 ° C. As it is heated, it loses more of the sweetness. It should not be heated too much. To get the right temperature, you can use a sparkling thermometer or do it by feeling. After you turn off the steam, you can expect the temperature to rise, so the steam must be turned off before you can see the desired temperature on the thermometer. If you do not use a thermometer, the steamer must be switched off when the outside of the jug begins to become uncomfortable to hold due to heating.

Frothing 

The second step is to put the milk jug underneath the steam wand.

In this step, it is important to find the correct position of the steam arm in relation to the milk surface. If it is placed too low in the milk and will not receive enough air and if it is too deep and will receive too much air. It is best to start with the steam arm just below the surface of the milk. Then adjust the depth according to the effect obtained, which announces small amounts of air sucked into the milk.

Then keep the arm of the wand near the side of the pitcher, creating a milk spout.

To incorporate air into the milk and break up larger bubbles, the jug should be moved up and down and around the wand. With this movement, the bubbles should become smaller.

Once the mixture has substantially increased the coffee machine can stop and you can remove the wand from the jug.

Then quickly clean the steam arm to leave no traces of milk.

Freshly frothed and soft milk can be added to the espresso shot.

Practice

If you really want to improve your foaming skills or practice the art of latte you need exercise. To create the perfect latte or cappuccino, it is necessary to practice frothing the milk for some time. After several attempts, you will definitely get the expected result and you will be able to create the perfect cup of coffee with milk.

To better learn the techniques of foaming milk are very useful videos created by professionals that are available to anyone.